Classroom Conversation Starters and Accountable Talk

Why are some students so quiet during classroom discussions?

Could it be because...

•     They don’t have a clue about what to say
•      They are intimidated about the process
•    They don’t want to be judged by their peers

And then, with other students, it’s the exact opposite. These students are surly, abrupt and abrasive. They intimidate their classmates, are judgmental in their comments and stifle discussions. Our fast paced and technology driven lifestyles have given our children very little practice in how to have rich and productive conversation. With texting and tweeting encouraging us to be curt and abrupt, it's a wonder that any of us can carry on an appropriate conversation anywhere - especially in the classroom.

There’s a way to help students with conversation skills, and for many students it's a matter of  helping them  learn how to communicate more effectively.  This can be done by providing them with examples of appropriate conversation, role playing, and practicing conversations.

This is not a unique idea that I thought up (although I wish I had!) On one of my visits to support a teacher, I visited someone (Thanks, Katty F. from the Bronx!) who used this strategy in her classroom – a classroom of active, urban 5^th graders.  Her students who could be a rambunctious group during the day, were able to have conversations that were fruitful, sincere and classroom appropriate. Their reactions to each other were thoughtful, measured and polite. I was puzzled, until I spoke with her. Katty told me about accountable talk, a concept foreign to me (quite the veteran teacher). She then showed me the posters on the wall that she used to remind her students about what to say, when to say it and how to say it. To give a clearer idea of what accountable talk is, here is a quote that I found on Mrs.Ballard’s homepage. It defines the basis of accountable talk: (http://asfms.net/sevenb/ballard_c/Template/accountabletalk.html)

"Whatever its form--whole class discussion, small group work, peer or teacher conferences, interviews--talk should be accountable to the learning community, to knowledge and standards of evidence that are appropriate to the subject, and to generally accepted standards of reasoning.”

I’m all for offering the students a posted “conversation template.”  This is simply a poster that includes sentence starters for  amenable conversation. Each group of starters has a heading so that the starters are used appropriately.  The poster can be posted on the wall, or there can be individual mini-posters placed on each students' desk.  Here is an idea of what can be included in different posters and presented in the classroom:

When We Ask Questions in Class:

§  What did you mean when you said__________?

§  Do you think that___________?

§  I don’t understand ______________?

§  Could you please repeat that sentence/question?

When We Make Comments in Class:

§  I agree with what you said because________________

§  I understand what you said, but I think that _______________

§  I respectfully disagree because______________________

§  That’s a great way to ____________________

§  That’s a good idea because____________________

T   This idea for using accountable talk  is worth a try, and may help students create a language for learning that helps them contribute more in class and enhances your ability to foster discourse in your classroom.

      Queen Bee


  What's teaching without homework?

 Please share your creative ways to stimulate productive conversation in your classroom.

     

     

Appreciation and Thanks

How about a little appreciation after a full week of work at school?

from your friend,

Strategy Time: Having Great Classroom Discussions

You don't have to shy away from classroom discussions. In fact, organized discussions are a great way for students to use the information that they've learned and evaluate other opinions. It's also a good way for students to practice the use of persuasive arguments.  However, discussion is a skill that has to be taught, and there are many different types of discussions that you can use in the classroom.

Consider these types of discussions, and think about how you can use them in your practice:

Open Discussions: (used when there is a question or topic for a large group discussion)

• the teacher serves as a moderator for the discussion, and models listening etiquette for the class
• students are given the topic ahead of time, and are allowed to prepare for the discussion

Guided Discussions:  (used to give students an opportunity to explore a topic in greater depth)

• the discussion is started by the teacher who poses questions to the group
• answers and opinions are based on facts and proof
• during the discussion, the teacher fades as the leader and students address each other

Fishbowl Discussions:  (used to explore ideas about a topic in a non-threatening environment)

• there are two circles of seated students-one inner circle and and outer circle around them
• the inner circle begins the discussion, as the the outer circle listens, then the groups switch places. Select vocal students for inner circle, so more reticent students can observe and get ideas.

 General Rules about All Discussions:

1. There must be strict guidelines given about how to respond to each other.

2. All opinions must be valued and listened to.

3. Everyone is allowed to participate, but no one should be forced to participate

4. Have a way to identify the speaker "who has the floor"- some use a talking stick or an eraser.

Here's a video that shows how to use another form of discussion, the Socratic Seminar. This example of the Socratic Seminar consists of discussions in small groups followed by a debate.

(Note:  Stop the video as soon as you see the ending credits - Thanks)


Have a great time using this strategy,

What's teaching without homework?
Share any experiences you've had with discussions in your classroom

True Friendship and a Science Experiment

As a Girl Scout Brownie, one of our staple songs went like this:

"Make new friends, but keep the old, 

one is silver and the other is gold."

I welcome you to my blog spot as treasures - silvery new friends and golden oldies!

Maybe this is a thought that we can share with our students this week. As a middle school teacher, I would often see students make friends, and then drop them just as quickly. I know that they didn't always do it on purpose, sometimes the sheer eagerness to do new things with new people could distract them from being faithful to older friends. However, whether dropping a friend was a calculated move or a spontaneous decision, its result was the still the same - terrible heartache for the friend left behind. Here's an idea:

                            Behold:   A Science Experiment

Create a basic science experiment using lima bean plants (or any other easy plant) - 

1. Have two identical plants that grow easily (lima beans, for example)

2. Explain to students that one plant will have everything that it needs to grow (control)

    and one will have everything it needs except water (variable).

3. Have students address the hypothesis to 

    "How Will Water Effect the Growth of a Plant?" and predict what will happen to the  variable.

4. Have students measure growth of plant over 2-3 week period.

5. Develop results and conclusion.

6. Have a discussion with students about the findings of the plant experiment. 

7. Now, tell the students to replace the plants with people, and the water for friendship.

8. Have students discuss a hypothesis for the second experiment, 

    "How will Lack of Attention Effect the Growth of a Friendship?"and then discuss their idea of how second experiment would end.  You may have students create an illustration or a Venn diagram to compare findings for each experiment.

Do you think your students will get the message?

What's teaching without homework?
Share your experience: How do you teach  social lessons to your students?

Welcome to all of my friends - new and old!

Today is the first day of this blog and is dedicated to the educator in all of us. Who doesn't want to be a better teacher? Well, here is the place to find tips, resources, inspiration and a little (or maybe a lot) of advice along the way. What way, you say? The road to accomplished teaching, that's the way! Thanks for visiting today...



What's teaching without homework?
Here's our first assignment: What would you like to see on this blog?